Elevator Troubles
by Nimrod The Writer
Summary: Have you ever wondered what would happen if you stuck Danny, Vlad, and a security cameria in a stalled elvator? Danny didn't either.


As far as I am concerned, there is a woefully small amount of Danny and Vlad fics out there. Their both just so _dynamic_ that it baffles me as to why there's this obscene amount of Danny and Sam and so little of Danny and Vlad. And I'm not even talking about pairings(for once). If you'll notice, there is no pairing in this fic. Just simple interaction, but it's the interaction in this that is McAwesome.

I mean, come on, who hasn't wanted to stick Danny and Vlad in small room and see what happens? It's like putting bees in a mason jar and setting it on fire after you shake it up.

Unfortunatly, I don't think I did it enough justice. I feel there should be more hitting.

* * *

I love my dad, really I do, but there are times when I could just smack him upside the head. Like the time he burst into my classroom and started shooting everything cause he thought there was a ghost attacking me. He didn't know the ghost _was _me, but whatever. Or the time my family all went to the movies and he thought he saw a ghost in the projector room. The Fentons are now banned from that theater. So you see, my dad always has his heart in the right place, he just never really thinks about his actions, ya' know. Usually, I easily forgive him, even when I'm writhing in pain during the night from a new gun he's invented, but this...this was going to take some time.

"Your father is the biggest idiot it has ever been my misfortune to meet." Vlad grumbled, leaning against the wall and glaring at the heavy metal doors.

"Shut-up Vlad." I grumbled back from my sitting position against the wall next to him. He raised an eye brow at me.

"Oh come now Daniel. You know you can't deny it. Only your father would find a way to get us locked in an elevator together."

I stewed in my irritation, remaining silent because I knew Vlad was right. Of course, the fruitloop knew it too, so it wasn't a surprise when he chuckled at my silence. Arrogant jerk.

Usually, this wouldn't be that big of a deal. All we have to do is phase outta here and go on our merry separate ways, but it might be a bit difficult to explain our sudden reappearance to my family. Not to mention the security cameras. Currently, mom and dad were about three floors above us, probably freaking out about the stalled elevator. Vlad was muttering murderously to himself about lousy maintenance.

"Well this is your company. So technically it's _your _fault were stuck here." I said, tired of his mutterings.

He glared at me.

"I have more important things to worry about than the operation levels of the elevators in my company, Daniel." he said, I could almost detect the defensive tone in his voice.

"Don't care. Your fault." I replied, just to piss him off.

He grit his teeth.

"Of course, because the bumbling idiot who ran ahead in childish excitement has nothing to do with it. We wouldn't be here if your father wasn't an uncontrollable ape." he snapped. In my oh so brilliant defense, told him to shut up again.

Honestly, it was mostly my dads fault. We were at the Dalv Co. office building because my parents were signing a contract for more grant money. Vlad thought it was funny how most of my parents inventions ran the high risk of maiming me in some fashion, so he totally supported them. That and he got to see my mom more. Creep.

The only reason I was here was because my dad pulled me into the car stating that I had nothing better to do and it would be great to meet their funders. I think he was under the impression that I didn't know Vlad was the one who gave my parents their funding. But Plasmius loved to boast about that during our many fights.

So we had arrived at the ten story office building, me with a permanent scowl on my face. Vlad was there to meet my parents-go figure-and looked pleasantly surprised to see me.

"Daniel," He half-smirked half-smiled, "What a pleasant surprise."

I had grunted a few obscenities to him in which he retaliated with a few mini-ectoblasts when my parent's backs were turned.

The office building also served as a sort of screening station too. The upper floors held all of the near completed inventions that had to either pass inspection to be put into use or the blueprints had to pass to start construction. My dad had caught the sign that proclaimed 'High explosive ghost weapons-Level 9' and immediately ran off to the nearest elevator to check it out, my mom running after him in haste.

Me and Vlad had just caught the elevator door sliding shut, mom giving us an apologetic smile, before it traveled up. Vlad had sighed in irritatation, once again stating what he though of my dads intelligence.

"Should we go after them?" I suggested.

"Why would we do that? Once your mother gets control of the oaf they'll be right back down here." he said in a voice that questioned _my _intelligence.

"Seriously?" I huffed angrily, "Your gonna trust my dad not to do something stupid before mom can stop him?"

Vlad gave a start and quickly pushed the up button, muttering about annoying logic and idiots.

The rest is obvious. Half way up the elevator started shaking and making loud groaning noises. My adrenaline had spiked because I've seen all the movies where the party goers get on a faulty elevator and crash to their death in a horrific kind of free fall. Needless to say, I wasn't very comfortable with elevators to begin with, I usually took the stairs.

The machine grated to a stop with a loud, heart stopping screech, making me press my hands over my hypersensitive ghost ears. I glanced at Vlad, seeing him take his own hands away from his ears and look with confusion at the number 6 that the arrow was pointing to.

"What on earth..." he muttered, standing straight and pressing the help button smartly. Seconds later, the small phone in the elevator gave a ring and he barely wasted a second before he snapped it up.

"Dalv Co. security." A gruff voice asked.

"This is your CEO talking. Why has the elevator stopped." Vlad snapped.

"M-mister Masters!" The voice was immediately more polite and official, "Our mechanics are looking into it as we speak sir!"

"How long will this take." Vlad drawled in an irritated voice.

"Well, probably not to long,"he sounded like he was dodging the real answer,"Depending on the nature of the problem is might not take more than five minuets. We can't be entirely sure, but I-"

"You have no idea, do you." Vlad said flatly.

"Well, we, uh...no Sir." the man sounded depressed.

"Then I suggest you get this elevator moving quickly." Vlad said coldly, hanging the phone up before the security man could reply.

And now here we are, having been stuck in an elevator for the past twenty minutes alone together, unable to phase out. My eyes roamed around the small box for the hundredth time, taking in the mahogany walls and red carpeted floor. The little gold arrow above the door was still marked at level six.

"This is why I take the stairs." I mumbled into my arms, glaring at the wall.

"You probably take the stairs because your scared of elevators." Vlad scoffed flippantly.

My eyes narrowed for half a second, but of course, Vlad caught the minuscule sign. He looked at me in slight surprise.

"You _are _scared of elevators." his tone put the sentence in a slightly questioning way.

"I am not." I mumbled. Wow, I really needed to work on my comebacks.

Vlad laughed openly, making me grit my teeth.

"Who would have guessed? Of all people, _you _are scared of elevators."

"What does it matter?" I snapped.

"It matters a great deal boy. The more weaknesses I learn the more I can use them against you." he smirked.

"What are you gonna do? Throw elevators at me?" I said sarcastically.

"No." his tone was light. Obviously he wasn't going to tell me what any of his psycho schemes would now entail.

Silence reigned again. I started feeling a little claustrophobic, but I'm not sure if it was because of the elevator or being in a small room with Vlad for so long. This was, without a doubt, one of the weirdest things I've ever had to go through.

More time passed and we both kept to ourselves, occasionally throwing a glance at one another. Vlad looked at his watch often, always frowning. I had the feeling that we were going to be here for a while, so I scooted to the corner and relaxed back. I wasn't stupid enough to close my eyes and let my guard down, but I at least relaxed.

It was so quiet I could hear the people mumbling from beyond the elevator, their voices muffled by the thick metal doors. I soft sigh escaped me. I was supposed to hang out with Tucker and Sam today.

Vlad finally lost his patience and practically stomped over to the button panel, jabbing the help line. He picked up the phone before the first ring had finished.

"What's taking so long?" he barked.

"I-I'm sorry sir, but it seems theres a problem with the lifting and lowering gears."

That didn't sound good. I could help but gulp in apprehension.

"The mechanics said the cables are looking rough too, so we called the fire department to come get you and your son out. They should be here..."

The rest of his sentence was lost to me as a funny feeling picked up in my stomach. Did he really just call me Vlad's son? Vlad stilled too, not listening to the voice. He looked at me with a grin, but I just scowled in response.

"Thank you, that will be all." Vlad said in a much calmer tone, probably freaking out the security guard.

He leaned back against the wall, a small smile playing on his lips. I glanced at him several times, his silence unnerving me.

"Fruit loop." I muttered.

"I don't even look like you." I grumbled after a pause.

"Apparently you look like me enough to pass off as my son to complete strangers. If that's not a sign Daniel, I don't know what it." he smirked.

"I'm not going to be your evil apprentice thing." I said flatly.

Vlad sighed in exasperation.

"One day you will grow out of your ridiculous notion of good and evil. I can only hope that day comes soon."

"Good and evil or not, what youdo is wrong."

"And what exactly do I do?" he smirked at me.

"Oh, lets see, chase after a married man's wife, steal your wealth through tricks and lies, beat up fourteen years olds. Should I stop here or go on?" I looked at him innocently.

"I have power Daniel, and why should I not use it to get what I desire, hmm? Power is meant to be used, not squandered."

"Then why don't you use it to _not _be a jerk?" I countered.

"I don't expect you to understand all of my actions." he said in a hard voice.

"Your dodging the real answer Plasmius." I said in an equally hard voice.

"And what do you think the real reason is boy?" he voice raised a bit.

"I think you use your power to get what you want because your selfish, stubborn, and bitter."

"Thank heavens the fourteen year old understands every aspect of my being." he said sarcastically, and then his voice hardened. "Maybe when you grow up you'll see that everything isn't so clean cut. People aren't born selfish, stubborn and bitter, Daniel, they are what society makes them."

"So your saying society controls people then? You were too weak to rise above the selfishness of other people?"

I probably shouldn't have said that. Actually, when Vlad gave me a death glare and dragged me over to the security camera, I knew I shouldn't have said that. He pinned me to the wall directly underneath of the small black box. My hands flew to the fingers wrapped around my neck, legs flailing in the open air.

"Tell me, how weak am I now, Daniel?" he hissed, fingers tightening and eyes glowing a bloody red.

I gasped for air, feeling my chest tighten. When his hand tightened even further and all air was completely cut off, I started panicking.

"Well?" he asked calmly, indifferent to my suffocation.

I was saved by a very loud slam that made the entire elevator shutter. Vlad dropped me to the ground and looked at the door in a bored fashion.

"Finally." I heard him mutter.

I sat on the ground, coughing and sucking in air ravenously, giving him filthy looks.

"Oh come now Daniel. It's not like I would actually kill my own apprentice." he scoffed.

"I'm not...your stupid...apprentice." I gasped.

Another slam shook the elevator and made my heart leap in my throat.

"Don't worry Mr. Masters! We'll have you out of there in no time!" came a muffled voice.

It must have been the firemen. A third slam dented the door very slightly as I stood up on shaky legs. Vlad was looking at the trembling elevator with an expression that did nothing to quell my growing fear.

A monstrously loud groan came from all around us as I looked around for the source frantically. Vlad's breath hitched and in seconds he pulled me into his arms, crouching down in the corner with me tight against his chest.

"What are you-!"

"Hold on." he muttered forebodingly, his tone shutting me up.

I had a second to reflect on how weird this was before several panicky shouts were heard outside and a loud snap turned my heart cold.

The elevator plummeted to the ground, the terrifying feeling of weightlessness-so unlike flying-turning my stomach. I screamed instinctively and clutched Vlad tighter, burying my head in his chest. It seemed to last an eternity, and all I could see was our mangled forms when the elevator smashed into the ground.

But a sudden jerk sent us to the floor. From the way Vlad had positioned himself, I fell on top of him, leaving him to take most of the fall. We slammed together with a grunt, everything spinning for a second. I was shaking like a leaf, still holding on to Vlad's jacket for dear life.

Everything quieted down, minus the screaming from outside the elevator. Why were _they _screaming? It's not like they were the ones in the elevator.

"Daniel?" Vlad coughed, looking at my semi-frozen self as he sat up on his elbows.

I jumped off him faster than I could fly, a light blush on my face.

"Um...sorry." I mumbled, looking at the wall from my sitting position.

Vlad rolled his eyes and winced, slowly trying to sit up, but having obvious trouble. I warred with myself for a moment until my kinder side shone through again. I helped him sit up and lean against a wall gently, noticing with a grimace the slight indent on the floor.

"Jeez, how hard did you hit the floor?"

"Hard enough that if you had been in my position you would of snapped your spine." he grunted, sitting up a little straighter.

I stared at him, feeling an odd sense of worry bubble in my chest. Had he broken his own spine? Didn't people get paralyzed for life from that or something? He glanced at me, his eyes softening slightly with something akin to appreciation.

"I'll just be very sore for a while, Daniel." he said in a subdue voice.

I blinked and then shrugged with a half smile, not realizing he could see my worry. Then several very loud voices came from outside the elevator, all frantic and terrified, sounding oddly more muffled than usual.

"Danny! Vlad! Are you alright!?"

"Mr. Masters, can you hear me?"

"Oh god, please answer!"

I glanced at Vlad and stumbled over to the door.

"Mom? Dad?"

"Oh thank god! Danny! Are you alright?"

"Is Mr. Master's okay?"

"Uh, yeah, were both fine."

"Don't worry you two, we'll get out out of there in no time!"

"That's what you said two hours ago." Vlad grumbled, struggling to stand up.

I debated going to help him again, but he grit his teeth and pulling him self up quickly, using the wooden handle that ran around the elevator. Sighing, he made his way over to me and wormed the very tips of his fingers into the crack of the door.

"Help me force this door open." he demanded.

Not needing to be told twice I quickly pulled against the other door, hearing the metal creak in protest. We managed to separate the doors enough to fit our hands in there and then we forced them apart as much as me could. Vlad seemed to be having more trouble though, probably because of the strain it had on his back. Finally, after much effort, we got the doors to open just enough for me to maybe fit my head through. Unfortunately, the doors wouldn't budge anymore than that. Worse, the elevator hadn't actually dropped to any floor. We had about an eight inch high view of what looked like the first floor.

People were clustered around the entrance of the elevator below us, not giving the firemen much room to work. I didn't mind though. Based on their previous attempts to help, I would rather they just back away. My parents were easy to spot, their HAZMAT suits jumping out like a sore thumb.

"Danny!"

"Vlad!"

"Thank goodness!"

Vlad leaned against the metal door and lowered himself to the ground, breathing a bit heavier than usual.

"Are you sure you didn't break anything?" I couldn't help but ask.

He glanced at me, looking humbled at my concern.

"I'm fine, Daniel." he said gently.

I didn't understand why I cared so much, but I pushed the thought back to deal with it another day. I had more pressing issues.

"Danny, are you sure you two are alright? That was six stories you fell through!" My mom looked horrified as she said this, looking up at me with watery eyes.

"Uh..."

"Tell her I'm horribly bruised and I'll need to stay at your house for a while to recuperate." Vlad whispered in my ear.

"Were fine." I told her.

Vlad sighed dramatically.

"Foiled again." he said in a tragic voice.

I rolled my eyes with a smirk.

"Mr. Masters! The fireman have stabilized the elevator and are working on getting the doors to operate correctly. We're going to lower you down now, so don't fear!"

"He is talking to you, right?" Vlad asked me.

"Shut up Vlad."

But I couldn't help but freeze when the entire elevator shuttered again, trembling slightly as it slowly lowered. More and more people came into view as the elevator lowered and I was surprised at the attention we had attracted. Vlad forced himself to stand, grimacing, but otherwise showing no other sign that he was injured.

"Oh thank heavens Danny..." I could hear my mom's breathless voice as the elevator came to a stop.

Vlad stood behind me, getting a glimpse of the crowd.

"Vladdie!" my dad yelled, and I heard Vlad wince again, but this time not from any pain. Well, not any physical pain at least.

"Maybe we should close the doors again." he mumbled.

I stepped on his foot and he pinched my shoulder blade.

"Okay, stand back you two."

A fireman in his full get-up waltzed in front of the door, looking to himself like a real hero. I snorted but backed away, shaking my head slightly.

The firefighter put what looked like a car jack between the doors and started forcing them apart again. The doors inched open farther and farther, the cheer of the crowd growing. Soon, we had plenty of room to slip out of the doors, which is what we quickly did once the jack was removed.

My parents immediately suffocated me in a hug, cracking my back. Vlad easily side stepped a hug from my dad, mentioning how he was a little bruised from the fall.

"Mr. Masters, I am so sorry. I have no idea how this could have happened! We'll get the problem fixed right away sir, I promise." The security guard sounded more like he was begging Vlad not to fire him.

"Fantastic. First make sure all the other elevators work first. We don't want a law suit next." The billionaire replied in a flat voice.

"Right away sir!" The man said happily, running off to complete the task and celebrate this continued employ at Dalv Co.

"Maddie. Jack. If you don't mind, do you think we could continue the signing another day." Vald asked tiredly, expertly ignoring the crowd.

"Of course V-man! You go home and get some rest! We gotta get Danny home anyways!" Dad looked ecstatic that we were both okay.

"Good, then I bid you all a good day." he said, obviously eager to get out of the spotlight.

Before he left completely, he looked back to me, an odd smile on his face.

"I'll see you soon, Daniel."

Great. More schemes.


End file.
